My Nephew, My King
by autumnrose2010
Summary: What if Katherine of Aragon had already had a son by Arthur when she married Henry?
1. Birth

**January, 1503**

In Durham House in London, a lonely, frightened seventeen-year-old girl lay in tremendous pain. Katherine, formerly of Aragon, Spain, was about to give birth to her first child, all she had left of her beloved husband, Arthur.

How she'd loved him! When she'd first met him, she'd been a stranger in a foreign country, a country with a different language and culture. Arthur had greeted her warmly, and right away she'd known that this was where she belonged.

But it wasn't meant to be. Not quite five months after their wedding, Katherine and Arthur had both fallen ill with the sweat. Katherine had recovered; Arthur hadn't.

A few weeks after her husband's death, Katherine had discovered that she was with child. In the midst of heavy sorrow, she found that she had cause to rejoice after all. A part of Arthur lived on, after all; deep inside Katherine's body, hope sprang anew. A new Tudor would soon be born, a son to carry on his father's legacy, or a daughter to grace a future European court.

"Keep pushing! You're almost there!" the midwife encouraged. Katherine pushed with all her might, and the head crowned. After a few more pushes, the rest of the baby's body emerged.

"Congratulations, Your Grace! You have a son!" the midwife exclaimed. The baby was cleaned, swaddled, and placed in his mother's arms. Katherine looked down at her tiny son in wonder and awe. He had dark blue eyes and the flaming red hair of the Tudors. He was the spitting image of his father. Right away Katherine knew that there was only one name that would do for him.

"Arthur." As she spoke his name, a tear rolled down her cheek. She knew that his father was looking down from above, that he was proud of her and of his new son, that he was glad that his name and legacy would carry on.


	2. Coronation

**April 21, 1509  
Richmond Palace  
**

"The King is dead," the physician stated as he emerged from the chambers of King Henry VII. "Long live the King."

The King's only surviving son, Prince Henry, knew what would come next. First there would be an elaborate funeral for his father, and then his nephew Arthur would be crowned as the new King.

_Arthur. _If not for the six-year-old boy, Henry himself would be the next King. Yet how could he feel hatred or resentment for such a precious little boy? Arthur was a fine, handsome lad, with red hair and blue eyes like his uncle, and a sharp, precocious mind like his mother.

_Katherine. _Never before had Henry known anyone so lovely, so exotically foreign and yet comfortably familiar at the same time. How he'd envied his older brother as he'd proudly escorted her down the aisle the day of her wedding! But Arthur had been gone these past seven years. Perhaps Henry would finally have his turn, after all. To be the husband of the mother of the King of England would be a great honor, indeed. Not exactly the same as actually being the King himself, perhaps, but a great honor nonetheless.

**June 24, 1509  
Westminster Abbey**

All of England watched and rejoiced as the crown was placed on young Arthur's head. Even at six he had a proud, regal bearing, standing straight and tall and behaving with the utmost dignity. For a fleeting moment, Katherine wished that her parents could be there to see him.

"I'm the King now, Mama," Arthur said to his mother at the lavish banquet following his coronation.

"Indeed you are," Katherine replied.

"That means that I get to do whatever I want and make all the rules," Arthur said.

"Well, not quite." Katherine laughed. "You're still six years old, Arthur. Your Uncle Henry will serve as your regent until you're all grown up and can make the important decisions yourself."

"He's quite a lad." Katherine turned to see her brother-in-law, Henry, smiling at her.

"He resembles his father so strongly it's hard to believe sometimes." Katherine had to swallow a lump in her throat.

"That he does," Henry agreed. "I see quite a bit of his mother in him as well."

"Really?" Katherine was surprised.

"I really do," Henry assured her. For the first time, Katherine noticed what a tall, handsome man Henry had grown up to be. She knew that he was six years younger than she was, but now that no longer seemed to matter. As she looked into his eyes, she felt a desire that she hadn't felt since Arthur had died, one that she hadn't known she'd ever feel again.


	3. Wedding

**June 11, 1509  
Greenwich Church**

All eyes were on Katherine, the mother of the King, as she slowly walked down the aisle to stand beside her groom, Prince Henry, Regent of England. As her eyes met those of Henry, a gentle smile formed on her lips. Her mind drifted back to her previous walk down the aisle, all those years ago. At that time, the future had seemed so full of promise, yet had turned tragic so quickly mere months later.

But this time would be different, Katherine knew. Henry was strong, healthy, robust; everything his frail, delicate brother hadn't been. Surely their union would be prosperous, with many more sons and daughters to follow Arthur.

As they stood before the priest repeating their vows, Henry looked into Katherine's pale blue eyes and felt proud and happy. The sorrow of loss hadn't marred her beauty; she was still every bit as attractive as she'd been when she'd wed his brother. He felt desire stir within him at the thought of the pleasure that was soon to be his.

The six-year-old King, watching solemnly from the front row, didn't fully understand the ramifications of the day's events, but he did realize that from now on, his life would be very different.

* * *

"Are you my new Papa now?" Arthur asked Henry during the reception.

"I'm still your Uncle Henry, but you're certainly more than welcome to call me Papa, if you want," Henry said with a grin.

"Your Uncle Henry and I are husband and wife now," Katherine explained to her young son. "That means that from now on, he will live with us at Whitehall Palace."

"And Uncle Henry will sleep in your bed?" That was what the young boy found the most bewildering.

"Of course he will. That's what being married means, that you sleep together in the same bed." Katherine blushed furiously, but Henry grinned and ruffled his nephew's hair.

* * *

Katherine was anxious, yet excited, as she waited in her chambers for Henry to come to her that night. It had been more than six years since she'd had marital relations with a man, and she wondered what it would be like with Henry. Would it hurt as much as the first time with Arthur had? Would she be able to please her new husband?

Henry arrived with a shy smile on his face. Katherine pulled the sheets back, and he took her into his arms, his body warm and firm against her own.

"You're frightened, aren't you?" he whispered.

"Only a little," she whispered back.

"Don't be. I promise I'll be gentle." He chuckled lightly.

She felt his hands roaming all over her body, softly caressing her flesh, exploring. His fingers lightly touched her nipples, and she felt them become erect at his touch. His mouth moved to gently suckle each one in turn, and she felt herself quiver with desire.

She felt him hard against her leg, and shyly reached down to touch him. His skin felt soft, smooth. Lightly she stroked him and heard him moan. His fingers lightly trailed the length of her torso, pausing at the patch of downy hair below her navel. She spread her legs wider to allow him access to her most intimate parts, and suddenly his fingers were there, caressing the tender flesh. Quickly he found her most sensitive spot and began to stroke it, and within moments, she was in ecstasy.

He entered her, and they began to move together. Within moments he began to groan and she knew that he had climaxed as well.

Afterwards he held her in his arms, and she soon heard him snoring lightly.

* * *

The following morning, Katherine awakened in Henry's arms, and the events of the previous day washed over her. She looked up at Henry to see him smiling gently at her.

"Good morning," he said.

"Did I please you?" she asked hesitantly.

He nodded. "Did I please you?"

She nodded. He lifted her chin and gently kissed her lips. "Already you may be with child."

Katherine smiled at the thought of baby brothers and sisters for Arthur, sons and daughters to ensure that the line would never die out, that there would always be a Tudor sitting on the throne of England.


	4. Sir Loyal Heart

**January 31, 1510**

This time Katherine knew what was happening, as she'd been through it before. Yet this time she wasn't alone. This time her husband waited just outside her bedchamber for news of the birth.

As the contractions became stronger and closer together, Katherine tried to relax and gather her strength for the task she knew was ahead of her. Finally it was time to push the baby out. Katherine, groaning with effort, bore down as hard as she could, over and over again. Finally the baby's head emerged and was soon followed by the rest of its body. Katherine heard a moment of silence, followed by the wail of a healthy newborn.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty!" the midwife exclaimed. "You have a daughter!"

Katherine felt a thrill of joy run through her body. Secretly, she'd always longed for a daughter. Yet how would Henry react? She knew how badly he'd wanted a son. Would he be disappointed in her?

The baby was cleaned, wrapped in a blanket, and handed to Katherine, who clutched the newborn to her breast and looked into her unfocused eyes in her tiny, red, wrinkled face. _How could anyone not simply adore you? _she thought.

The next thing she knew, Henry had entered her bedchamber and was standing beside her bed, smiling and looking down at his new daughter.

"Would you like to hold her?" Katherine asked him. He nodded and took the baby from her.

"I'd like to name her Joanna, for my sister, if that's all right with you," Katherine said hesitantly.

"That's fine." Henry nodded quickly.

Young Arthur was brought in to see his new sister.

"She's so tiny!" he exclaimed.

"You were this tiny too, right after you were born," his mother told him.

"And since I'm the King, she'll be Queen, right?"

Henry and Katherine both laughed. "No, she's just a princess," Henry told his nephew.

* * *

Little Joanna grew to be a bright, happy baby. Her parents and older brother adored her, and she was soon the darling of everyone who knew her.

Within months, Katherine was pregnant again, and on January 1, 1511, her second son was born.

Katherine saw the look of utter joy on her husband's face and felt tremendously relieved.

"He shall be called Henry," Henry announced.

A lavish christening was held on January 5, followed by a tournament at Westminster, in which Henry rode under the banner of "Sir Loyal Heart."

For almost two months, Henry and Katherine were on top of the world. The young wife and mother came to believe that nothing would ever mar her happiness again.

Then one morning in late February, Katherine awakened with the feeling that something wasn't quite right. As she placed a hand on the body of her sleeping infant son, a sharp feeling of alarm ripped through her.


	5. Growing Family

"He's burning up with fever!" Katherine exclaimed.

Henry lightly touched his small son's head and then quickly jerked his hand away. "The court physician must be called for immediately!" he exclaimed.

The physician came and examined the baby, then shook his head solemnly. "There's nothing I can do except to keep him as comfortable as possible. The rest is in God's hands."

Katherine immediately went to the chapel, where she prostrated herself before the statue of the Virgin and began to plead for her infant son's life. For many long hours she wept and prayed. Late that evening she felt a soft hand touch her cheek and turned to look into Henry's mournful eyes.

"Does our son yet live?" she asked him.

Henry nodded. "He's holding his own, but the physician says it's still too soon to tell whether or not he'll make it."

"Oh, Henry!" Katherine sobbed. Henry put his arms around her and comforted her.

Together they quietly walked back to the nursery, where baby Henry still slept fitfully. Katherine looked at his tiny face and felt an overwhelming love. She didn't think that she could bear it if anything happened to him.

Baby Henry's condition remained virtually unchanged for several days. During that time, Katherine ate very little and spent many hours in prayer. On the third day she noticed that the baby was sleeping more soundly than he had in days. She touched him, and his skin felt cool to the touch.

"His fever has broken," the physician announced the next time he examined the baby. "He's going to be fine."

Henry and Katherine gave thanks to God.

* * *

After Henry, Katherine gave birth to four more children: Edward was born in October of 1513, Charles was born in December of 1514, Mary was born February 18, 1516, and Isabella was born November 10, 1518.

Henry and Katherine loved and doted on all their children. Young King Arthur sometimes became very bossy with his younger siblings but was never cruel to them. The younger boys were envious of him, and the girls all adored him.

"He's going to be very popular with the women when he's older," his Uncle Henry predicted. Katherine smiled. She'd always been very proud of her firstborn son.

Little Mary especially turned out to be a very precocious child, fluent at playing the virginals by the age of four. Although Henry claimed not to have any favorites among his children, he called Mary his 'Pearl' and always seemed to have a special smile just for her. If Joanna and Isabella noticed at all, they didn't seem to mind. Katherine, however, _did _notice, and tried to compensate by lavishing extra attention on her oldest and youngest daughters herself.


	6. Anne Boleyn

King Arthur grew to be a tall, handsome, charming young man. He was gentle and kind as well as intelligent. He reminded Katherine very much of his father, which made her feel both happy and sad.

One day Arthur was attending a masquerade at Whitehall Palace when he saw a young woman who completely captivated him. She was slender, with long, very dark brown hair. Although Arthur couldn't see her face, he could tell that she was lovely and couldn't wait to meet her.

The dance finally ended, and the dancers left the floor. Fascinated, Arthur watched the young woman as she took a seat and put her mask down. He gasped when he saw that she had a beautiful face, with eyes that looked like dark pools of ebony and a slender, swan-like neck.

Almost timidly, he approached her. "Forgive me," he said. "But I am enchanted by your beauty and would very much like to make your acquaintance."

She gasped with surprise and delight. "Your Majesty!" she exclaimed. "I'm deeply honored. My name is Anne Boleyn, and I've just recently arrived from France to be a lady-in-waiting here at the English court."

"You're the loveliest woman I've ever met, and a marvelous dancer as well," said Arthur.

"Thank you," said Anne. "France is a lovely country, but I'm happy to be home in England again. I grew up in the countryside here with my brother and sister, and I missed it."

"Tell me about them."

"We've always been very close. Mary's the oldest. Her husband died of the sweating sickness. She has a little girl, Katherine, and a little boy, Henry. George is the second oldest. He's only a couple of years older than me."

"I'd love to meet them sometime," said Arthur.

"I'd be happy to introduce you," Anne told him.

For the rest of that day, Arthur couldn't get Anne out of his mind. He couldn't wait until he had a chance to see her again.

"Who was the young woman I saw you talking to earlier?" Arthur's younger sister, Joanna, asked him that evening.

"Her name is Anne Boleyn, and she just arrived from the courts of France," said Arthur.

"She must be very sophisticated, then," said Joanna. "If I were you, I'd be careful."

Arthur saw Anne frequently over the next several weeks. They went for long walks together on the palace grounds, and sometimes had picnics when the weather was nice. Before long, Arthur realized that he was in love.

His Uncle Henry spoke to him about it one day.

"You're a King," Henry told him. "You could marry any of the princesses of Europe you chose. Why would you settle for a commoner?"

"I don't consider it to be 'settling' at all, Uncle Henry," Arthur replied. "Anne is just as beautiful and intelligent as any European princess. She can't help it that she wasn't born royal. I love her just as much as if she had been."

"You're still very young," Henry continued. "You've never even been with a woman before. Why not simply take Anne as a mistress? Then later, when you're ready to settle down, you can choose a virginal bride from amongst the royal families of Europe."

"But I love Anne, and I want to spend the rest of my life with her," Arthur protested. "Just because I've never been with a woman doesn't mean that I'm not ready to settle down yet. I don't have to bed multiple women to feel like a man."

"You're the King, and I can't tell you what to do," said Henry. "But I have a feeling that if you marry your Boleyn commoner now, you'll regret it some day."


	7. Arthur's Wedding

The next time Arthur saw Anne, she was sitting beside the water, picking flowers and weaving them together to make a necklace. As always, he was captivated by her beauty. Quietly, he slipped up behind her and put both hands over her eyes.

Slowly, Anne removed the hand covering her left eye and pressed it to her lips. Then she looked up at Arthur and smiled.

"How are you, my lovely?" he asked.

"Very happy, now that you're here," she replied. He sat beside her, and they both watched the ducks swim and dive.

"There's something I've been wanting to ask you for quite some time now," Arthur began. "But every time I try, I lose my nerve."

"But you're a King!" Anne exclaimed. "What could you possibly want to ask me that would make you feel afraid?"

"Something I've never asked anyone before." Arthur smiled. His heart was racing madly, but he knew that it was now or never. "Anne Boleyn, will you marry me?"

* * *

Katherine saw her oldest son, the King, sitting quietly with a mysterious smile on his face.

"What's on your mind?" she asked him.

"Mother!" Arthur jumped, startled. "I didn't even realize that you were in the same room."

Katherine chuckled. "You must be very deeply in thought."

"I am," Arthur admitted. "I've just asked the lady Anne Boleyn for her hand in marriage, and she's accepted."

"The lady Anne Boleyn?" Katherine gasped, shocked. "But she's a commoner!"

"Nevertheless, I love her and want to spend the rest of my life with her."

"Well, if you're sure this is what you really want, then I wish you the best," said Katherine. "Your happiness is more important to me than any potential alliance with a foreign kingdom."

"Thank you, Mother, from the bottom of my heart." Arthur went to his mother and embraced her and kissed her cheek.

* * *

Arthur and Anne were married in the same church in which Arthur's parents had been married all those years ago. Arthur's family sat on one side of the church, and Anne's family sat on the other.

Arthur's younger sister, Joanna, looked across the aisle and saw a very nice looking man sitting with the bride's family. He was slender and of about average height, with brown hair and eyes and a mustache. He caught her eye and smiled. She decided that she simply had to meet him and talk to him after the ceremony.

At the reception that followed, Joanna was standing beside the table sipping from a glass of champagne when she heard a voice at her shoulder.

"They do make a lovely couple, don't they?"

Joanna jumped.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to startle you." Joanna turned to see the smiling face of the good-looking young man she'd admired during the ceremony.

"That's all right." She giggled nervously.

"I'm the brother of the bride. My name's George Boleyn." He held out his hand to her. She placed her hand in his own, and he kissed it.

"It's nice to meet you, George. I'm Princess Joanna."

"I know." He grinned. "Perhaps we could go horseback riding together sometime, if you'd like."

"That sounds like a lovely idea!" Joanna suddenly felt very happy.

* * *

Arthur felt shy as he went in to Anne on their first night together. He knew the mechanics of what to expect, of course, but the idea of actually experiencing physical intimacy with the woman he loved both overwhelmed and thrilled him.

Anne smiled shyly when she saw him. With trembling hands he reached for her, and she went into his arms. Soon their mutual nervousness had been transformed into passion as they came together as husband and wife for the first time.


	8. The Quest For A Daughter

**Ten Years Later**

"Do you feel all right?" Arthur asked his wife Anne, who was not quite nine months pregnant.

"I'm fine," Anne said with a smile. "The baby just kicked me again, that's all."

"Well, that problem will very soon be a thing of the past." Arthur smiled and stroked his wife's swollen belly.

"I can't wait!" Anne exclaimed.

"Neither can I," said Arthur.

This was Anne's fifth pregnancy. She and Arthur already had four healthy sons, Arthur, Brandon, Charles, and David. Arthur was very happy with his growing family but felt that something was missing. What it was he dared not mention for fear of being ridiculed.

He remembered how thrilled he'd been at the birth of his firstborn son and namesake. His Uncle Henry and all his friends and courtiers had congratulated him on the birth and told him how fortunate he was to have gotten a male heir so quickly. Anne had been immensely relieved.

"I'm so happy the baby was a boy," she'd told her husband. "I know how disappointed you would have been at the birth of a daughter."

"I am very happy to have a healthy son," Arthur had agreed. "But I wouldn't have loved you any less if he'd been a girl, as I know it wouldn't have been your fault."

The births of Brandon and Charles had been met with the same euphoria, but although he never would have admitted it to anyone, Arthur had felt just a tad disappointed after David's birth, and from the look on Anne's face, he'd been able to tell that she'd felt the same way.

"I think I shall retire early tonight," Anne said, her voice bringing Arthur back to the present. "I feel unusually tired." She rose from where she and Arthur had been sitting in the garden watching their sons at play and returned to the palace.

Arthur noticed that it was getting darker. "Boys, it's time to go inside and get ready for bed," he told his sons.

"Please, Papa, can we stay outside for just a little while longer?" asked little Charles.

"Very well. You may play for fifteen minutes more," his father told him.

Later that night, Anne gently shook her husband awake. "It's time," she told him.

Instantly Arthur was wide awake. "Are you sure?" he asked her.

"I'm positive," she replied. "I've been through this four times before, you know."

Half awake, the King stumbled from his bedchambers in search of the palace physician. The physician was quickly located and immediately went to Anne's bedchambers. Arthur settled in for the long wait.

At first things seemed to be fairly routine, but after awhile, Arthur became anxious that this labor and delivery seemed to be taking longer than the previous four had. He began to pace back and forth restlessly.

He was almost frantic with worry by the time the physician finally emerged from Anne's bedchambers. The expression on the physician's face confirmed Arthur's fears.

"The Queen grows weaker and weaker, yet the child seems no nearer to being born," the physician said. "I'm afraid the time has come to make a choice. You must chose between the mother's life and that of the child."

"I can't lose Anne!" Arthur cried. "Please, you must do whatever you can to save her!"

"Very well. I shall do my utmost to save Anne, but of course, I can't make any promises," the physician said before disappearing inside the bedchambers once again.

At that moment Arthur wasn't even thinking about the baby's gender, but before the situation had become critical, he'd found himself daydreaming of soft black curls resting against Anne's breast, a dainty hand reaching up to grasp his finger, a soft voice in contrast to the whoops and shouts of his four energetic sons.

After what seemed like hours, the physician finally reappeared, looking very weary. "The Queen lives," he told Arthur.

"And?"

"You have a healthy new daughter," the physician told him.

"Is Anne going to be all right?"

"She's very weak, but I believe she shall make it."

"Can I see her now?"

The physician stepped aside so that Arthur could enter his wife's bedchambers. Arthur found Anne sitting up in bed, looking very pale and weak but happy. She held a tiny bundle in her arms. Arthur felt a thrill of joy course through his body.

"Would you like to hold her?" Anne asked.

Arthur gingerly took the tiny bundle from his wife's arms and looked into the tiny face. He felt an overwhelming love for the tiny creature.

"She's beautiful!" he exclaimed happily.

"I thought that perhaps we could name her Elizabeth, for my mother and your grandmother," Anne suggested.

"That's a lovely name," Arthur replied.

"I never realized how badly I wanted a daughter until after she was born," Anne admitted.

"Neither did I," said Arthur. He was thrilled that his wife had shared his secret yearning all along.


	9. George And Joanna

**Shortly After The Wedding Of Arthur And Anne**

Joanna's heart beat with excitement as she headed for the royal stables. It was a bright, sunny day, and George Boleyn had promised to meet her there to go horseback riding. She was also a bit anxious. George would be the first young man she'd ever gone riding with except for her brothers. What if he didn't show up? She'd only met him once so didn't know him well at all. Perhaps he'd forgotten, or changed his mind.

As she approached the stables, she caught sight of George's dark hair and mustache and felt a surge of relief. He was wearing a riding cap, with brown breeches and a brown-and-white striped shirt. He saw her coming and grinned widely. She smiled back.

"You look beautiful this morning," he told her.

"Thank you. You look very nice yourself," she replied.

He helped her onto a horse, and they took off across the field. Joanna had a lot of fun that morning, more than she'd had in a long time. She dreaded saying good-bye to George and returning to the palace at lunchtime, but eventually they were both pretty hungry.

"I really enjoyed riding with you this morning," Joanna told George as they were brushing down their horses. "I hope that we can go again soon."

"We definitely will," said George. "I packed a picnic lunch for us. Won't you join me?"

"Oh, good!" Joanna exclaimed. So she wouldn't have to leave him right away after all.

Over lunch, George and Joanna got to know one another better.

"So what's it like to have the King as your big brother?" George asked.

Joanna shrugged. "I never really thought of him as the King. To me he was always just my brother."

"So you weren't constantly in awe of him?"

"Of course I was!" They both laughed.

"Are your sisters older or younger than you?" asked Joanna.

"Mary's older, and Anne's younger," George replied.

"What's it like to have an older sister?"

"It's all right. I've always gotten along fine with Mary, but I've always been closer to Anne."

"What about your parents?"

"My mother's really nice. I suppose that deep down inside, my father loves us, but he's very ambitious, and sometimes I feel that he uses us children as a means to his own ends. He did a lot of manipulating to get Anne into a position where the King would notice her."

"What about your other sister?"

"He arranged Mary's marriage when she was very young. It's a happy marriage, but she and William didn't even meet each other until the day before their wedding."

"What about you?"

"My father's been pressuring me to marry a woman named Jane Parker. I can't stand her!"

"You shouldn't have to marry her, then, said Joanna.

"I don't intend to, if there's any way possible to avoid it." George chuckled.

* * *

As George and Joanna got to know one another better, they began to like one another more and more, until one day Joanna realized that she was in love with George. However, the day of George's wedding to Jane Parker grew nearer and nearer, until at last it was at hand.

Joanna watched miserably as the man she loved walked down the aisle to marry a woman he couldn't stand. She listened as the minister began to speak.

"Should anyone here present know of any reason that this couple should not be joined in holy matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace," the minister said at one point in the ceremony.

Suddenly Joanna couldn't stand it anymore. "I object!" she shouted, jumping to her feet. Everyone stared at her in shock except for George, whose face bore an expression of profound relief and gratitude.

"George shouldn't have to marry a woman he doesn't love just because his father wants him to!" Joanna exclaimed. "And if George's father really loves him, he shouldn't force him to marry against his will!"

The minister cleared his throat. "Well, this is certainly highly unusual." He looked at George. "George Boleyn, is it true that you don't want to marry this woman, Jane Parker?"

"Everything the princess has said is true, sir," George told him.

"Then I cannot in good conscience continue this ceremony," the minister announced. "You are all dismissed."

As all the guests started to leave, Joanna saw that George was making his way toward her as quickly as he could. At last he reached her.

"Joanna!" He was grinning from ear to ear as he hugged her. "I don't know how to thank you!"

"I couldn't bear to see it happen," Joanna told him. "I _had _to say something."

"I'm ever so glad you did," George told her. "I think I owe you at least a nice dinner now."

"I'd enjoy that very much," Joanna said with a smile. George took her hand, and they left the chapel together.


	10. George And Joanna's Wedding

"There's something I've been wanting to say to you for some time now, but lacked the nerve," George said to Joanna as they strolled the palace grounds.

"What is it?" asked Joanna.

George paused for a minute. "It's simply that...you have the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen."

"Well, thank you," said Joanna, taken aback. "You couldn't get up the nerve to tell me how beautiful my eyes are?"

"Uh...no, that wasn't exactly what I was going to say." George gulped and licked his lips nervously. Then he stopped walking and turned to face Joanna.

"You see..." he began. "In the time I've gotten to know you, I've fallen in love with you. I'd like to ask the King for your hand in marriage, if that's all right."

* * *

George and Joanna were married in the same church in which Arthur and Anne had wed. All the Tudors and Boleyns attended. It was a lovely ceremony. Afterwards, the newlyweds went rowing in the river.

"I can't believe I'm really married," said Joanna, leaning back onto her new husband's chest.

George laughed and hugged her lightly. "Today is the happiest day of my life," he said.

When it got too late for rowing on the river, they went back into the palace, where they had a quiet, romantic dinner together. A court violinist played as they ate. After dinner, they danced for awhile and then went for a moonlight stroll.

"I feel like I never want this night to end," Joanna sighed happily.

"Even better things are in store for us later." George winked at his new wife, and Joanna felt a thrill of excitement course through her body.

Later, George took Joanna's hand and led her to their bedchambers. Joanna's heart beat with excitement as George began to kiss and caress her. Slowly and gently, he unfastened her dress and let it fall from her shoulders, and she stood before him in only her underclothing.

George began to kiss Joanna deeply and passionately as his hands roamed slowly and sensuously over her breasts, causing her nipples to tingle. She wondered whether she should start undressing him as well or let him do it himself. A moment later her question was answered as George stopped kissing her long enough to remove his own clothing, until he was wearing only his hose. Then he grinned saucily at her and took them off as well.

Hesitantly she took him into her hand and began to fondle him. At the same time, he quickly removed her underclothing, then led her to the bed. She lay down, and he parted her legs and began to gently stroke the tender flesh of her most intimate parts until she was slick with desire. Then he positioned himself at her entrance.

"This may hurt a little bit. I'll be as gentle as I can," he told her.

She cried out in pain as he entered her.

"It's all right," he said soothingly, stroking her hair and kissing her forehead. "I love you, Joanna."

"I love you too," she whispered.

After giving her a moment to adjust, he pressed into her again, very slowly.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"I'm fine," she told him.

He continued to press until he was all the way in, then moved in and out very gently, gradually picking up the pace. For Joanna, pain gave way to pleasure until she was feeling quite euphoric. Within a short time George climaxed, then rolled off Joanna and pulled her close to him.

"Did you enjoy that?" he asked.

"Yes. Did you?"

"Of course!" He kissed her lips, a soft, chaste kiss this time. "Good night, sweet Joanna."

"Good night, George...my love."

He chuckled softly and gave her a bear hug. Within moments they were both asleep.


	11. Jousting Mishap

Joanna found that she enjoyed being married to George very much. It was nice to wake up beside him in the morning and feel his arms around her, and she loved cuddling in bed with him and talking. They still went for horseback rides and picnics frequently, and she enjoyed that tremendously.

Several months after her wedding, Joanna missed her monthly courses.

"I think I might be with child," she told George one night.

"You'd better see the midwife soon," he replied.

"I'm going to see her tomorrow," Joanna told him.

"Congratulations, Your Grace," the midwife told her the next day. "You're with child."

Joanna was ecstatic. She couldn't wait to tell George the news.

"I can see by your smile that you have happy news," he told her.

"Oh, George, you're going to be a father!" Joanna exclaimed.

"That's fantastic!" George exclaimed, picking his wife up and spinning her around.

Joanna had an easy pregnancy, but as her due date grew closer, she began to feel anxious and afraid. She discussed her fears with her sister-in-law, Queen Anne.

"Does it hurt very much to give birth?" Joanna asked.

"It's very painful," Anne told her. "But as soon as it's all over with and you're holding your new baby in your arms, you're so happy that you forget all about the pain."

"I've heard that some women even die in childbirth," said Joanna.

"It happens, but it's not terribly common," Anne assured her. "You're perfectly healthy, so I don't think you have anything to worry about."

A few days later, Joanna felt unwell in the morning, and by the evening she was feeling much worse. The physician came and examined her.

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid she has the sweating sickness," he told George.

George fought his rising panic. "But what about the baby?"

"The baby may very well survive, if Joanna lives. If not, it may still be saved if we open her abdomen right away."

"Dear God, please no!" George begged. Images of Joanna's dead body being cut open with blood everywhere came to his mind, and he tried desperately to push them away. "Please, you have to save her!"

"She's in God's hands now," the physician said gravely.

* * *

One day, Joanna's younger brother Henry was visiting his mother's chambers when he noticed a beautiful blonde whom he hadn't seen before.

"Meet my new lady-in-waiting, Jane Seymour," Katherine told her son.

"Hello." Henry smiled and kissed Jane's hand. She smiled back.

"Would you like to go for a walk?" asked Henry.

"Certainly," Jane replied.

They went for a walk together in the palace garden. Henry told Jane what it had been like to grow up as the younger brother of the King, and Jane told Henry about her own family, about her sister Elizabeth and her brothers Edward and Thomas.

"I'm going jousting tomorrow," Henry told Jane.

"Here," said Jane. "Take this with you. It's a good luck charm."

Henry didn't really believe in the power of charms, but he didn't want to hurt Jane's feelings, so he took the amulet from her and placed it around his neck.

Henry rode out onto the field with anticipation the following day. He felt confident and was eager for the joust to get underway. He clutched his lance, and as the signal was given, rode toward his opponent.

Suddenly Henry heard a tremendous crash, and as his body fell from the horse's back, he felt a tremendous jarring sensation. Then everything went black.


	12. The Good Luck Charm

Joanna opened her eyes, and at first she couldn't remember where she was, or what had happened. Gradually the memories returned to her. She was married to George Boleyn and was expecting his child. The last thing she remembered was feeling hot and very sleepy, but to her that seemed like a long time ago.

"Joanna! Thank God you're awake!" Joanna heard her husband's voice and turned to look into his worried eyes.

"What happened?" she asked.

"You fell ill with the sweating sickness," George told her. "Oh, Joanna, I was so worried!"

"The sweating sickness?" Fear suddenly came upon her, and she grasped her belly. "The baby!"

"The baby's just fine," George assured her. As if to second his words, she felt the baby's movement inside her right after George had spoken and was greatly relieved.

Joanna was quite weak for the first few days after her recovery, but as time passed, she gradually grew stronger. Early one morning, she felt an unfamiliar tightening across her abdomen. A wave of excitement shot through her, and she shook her husband awake.

"George, the baby's coming!" she exclaimed.

George was instantly awake and on his way to fetch the midwife, who arrived and examined Joanna.

"It'll be a few more hours," she told them.

At first the contractions were fairly mild, but as time passed, they grew stronger and stronger.

"You're doing just fine," the midwife told her. "If you feel like crying out, don't hold back."

Soon the pain became so intense that Joanna began to scream, wadding the bedsheets up in her hands and pulling on them.

After awhile, the midwife saw her groaning and straining and examined her again. "You're ready," she announced.

Joanna pushed and pushed until sweat was streaming down her face. The midwife examined her again.

"It won't be long now," she said. "I can already see the top of the baby's head."

Another mighty push, and the baby's head emerged. After a few more pushes, Joanna felt the rest of the baby's body slide from her own.

"It's a girl!" the midwife exclaimed.

A girl! What would George say?

To Joanna, the newborn's wail sounded like the mewing of a kitten. The baby was wrapped in a blanket and laid in her arms. As she looked down into her daughter's smoky blue eyes, she felt an overwhelming love for her, one such as she'd never felt before for anyone.

"Hello, beautiful!" Suddenly George was there, beaming. "She's gorgeous, isn't she?"

"She looks just like you, George," said Joanna. "I want to name her Georgia, for you."

"Why, thank you, sweetheart. I'm deeply honored," said George. He kissed his wife's cheek, then took his new daughter into his arms.

* * *

When Henry came to, he found himself lying flat on his back, staring straight up into the bright sunshine. A sea of concerned faces surrounded him.

"Are you all right?" asked his younger brother, Edward.

"I...I think so," Henry stuttered, struggling to his feet. Edward and his other younger brother, Charles, helped him to stand up. "What happened?"

"You took a direct blow to the throat," Charles told him. "Only a miracle could have saved you."

Henry felt the charm around his neck holding the amulet which Jane Seymour had given him. He took it from around his neck and looked at it, gasping in shock when he saw the indentation where the lance had struck it.

"Lady Jane Seymour's good luck charm saved my life," he said in awe. "I must go to her right away and thank her."


	13. Love Is In The Air

Henry found Lady Jane Seymour in the Queen's chambers with the other ladies-in-waiting. He silently beckoned to her, and she followed him into a courtyard. As soon as they were alone, he showed her the amulet. She saw the dent in it and gasped.

"Your amulet saved my life," he told her. "If I hadn't had it around my neck, the lance would have went right into my throat and killed me."

Jane gasped. "Oh my God! I'm so glad I gave it to you, then."

"So am I." Jane felt Henry's fingers touch her chin, then his lips on hers. She was in heaven.

Henry and Jane were inseparable after that, and before long, they became engaged. They soon married, and a few months later, Jane became pregnant.

* * *

"John III, the Duke of Cleves," is seeking a husband for his second daughter, Anne," Arthur's chancellor, Thomas Cromwell, told Henry and Katherine. "He is considering your son Edward as a possible mate for her. The artist Hans Holbein has painted her portrait, which the Duke has sent for your approval."

"Very well," said Henry, glancing over the portrait. "She seems quite an attractive woman. I feel confident that she will be a worthy mate for Edward." He immediately called his second son to him. "You are to be wed to Anne of Cleves," he told Edward. "She is to journey from Germany to Dover, and you are to meet her at Rochester shortly afterwards. Here is a portrait of her which was painted by Hans Holbein."

Edward examined the portrait carefully, then nodded his approval. "She is a very attractive woman," he said. "If she has a personality to match, I'm sure I shall be quite happy with her."

Edward, who was prone to playing pranks, traveled with a couple of his friends to Rochester, all of them disguised in masks. They reached the room where Anne was watching a bear baiting and stood just outside, peeking in.

"That's her," whispered Edward, immediately recognizing Anne from her portrait.

"I dare you to go up to her and kiss her," one of his friends told him.

Never one to back down from a dare, Edward sneaked into the room, silently crept up to Anne, and kissed her.

_"Fick dich!" _Anne said crossly, pushing Edward away.

Edward, immediately contrite, removed the mask and bowed before Anne. "It is I, Edward, your betrothed," he told her. "I'm sorry I startled you."

"Edward?" Anne stared for a moment, then giggled uncertainly.

"Yes, it's me." Edward smiled and took Anne's hand. 'Come on. Let's go back to London. I can't wait to show you more of my country."

* * *

"Meet my parents, Henry and Katherine," said Edward. "Mother and father, this is Anne of Cleves."

"Hello," Anne said politely, dropping a curtsy.

"Hello, darling," said Katherine. "It's lovely to meet you."

"Hello," Henry said stiffly.

"She seems quite nice," Katherine said to Henry later.

"She doesn't resemble her portrait at all," Henry said coldly. "In fact, I find her quite unattractive. I do not wish to have such an ugly woman for a daughter-in-law."


	14. Inner Beauty

"Your father doesn't like me," Anne of Cleves said to Edward as soon as they were alone.

"Of course he does," Edward quickly assured her. "He's just a bit reticent about meeting new people, that's all."

"I fear that my looks don't please him," Anne replied.

"When he gets to know you and finds out what you're like on the inside, he'll love you just as I do," Edward predicted.

"Believe it or not, I was quite attractive before I contracted smallpox," Anne told him.

"Your scars don't bother me at all," said Edward. "I consider them evidence that you survived. If the smallpox had killed you, you wouldn't have scars."

"Sweet Jesu, I never thought of it that way at all," said Anne.

* * *

Lady Jane Seymour was strolling in the palace gardens with her husband, Henry, when her labor pains began. Startled, she clutched her belly and looked at Henry.

"Is it time?" he asked her.

She nodded, and he took her by the hand and rushed her back into the palace as quickly as he could. He helped her to lie down in her bedchambers and then went in search of the court physician, who quickly examined Jane and confirmed that she was, indeed, in labor.

Twelve hours later, Jane gave birth to a healthy baby boy. Henry was thrilled.

"Let's name him Edward, after your brother and mine as well," Jane suggested. Henry agreed.

Everything seemed to be fine for the following twelve days. However, twenty-eight days before Jane's Churching was to take place, Henry was visiting Jane in her bedchambers when he saw his wife's face turn ashen white and, aghast, watched as she slumped to the floor in a pool of blood.

* * *

Edward married Anne of Cleves in the same chapel in which his older siblings had been wed before him. Henry begrudgingly admitted that if Edward wanted to marry a woman that he himself considered homely, it was no one else's business but Edward's. Katherine, who had taken an immediate liking to Anne, continued to treat her warmly.

Waiting for her new husband in her bedchambers that night, Anne hoped that Edward wouldn't have any second thoughts about having married her when he saw her naked body for the first time.

Edward smiled at her as he entered the bedchambers, then walked up to her and began kissing her. As he did so, he began to remove her clothing. At last she stood before him naked, and he glanced over her body appreciatively before starting to remove his own clothing.

"Does my body please you?" she asked shyly.

"Of course it does!" He sounded surprised that she'd even ask.

Soon all his clothing had been shed as well, and they lay together on the bed, exploring one another's bodies and becoming more and more aroused, until at last they joined together in their first act of marital love.

* * *

As little Georgia grew into a toddler, she resembled her father more and more with each passing day. Two years after her birth, Joanna gave birth to a son. He was named Thomas for George's father. George and Joanna were very happy with their growing family and still loved one another very much.


	15. A New Lady-In-Waiting

The court physician was summoned right away.

"I've seen this happen before," he told Henry. "A piece of the afterbirth is retained following the delivery. A few days later, when it is eventually dislodged and passed, a dangerous amount of blood can be lost. It's difficult to say at this point whether or not she'll survive. We'll simply have to wait and see."

"Please don't leave me, Jane," Henry sobbed, clutching her hand and looking pleadingly into her face. "You've given me such a beautiful son, darling. Edward needs his mother, and I need you, too. Please, please stay with me. I love you so much, and I couldn't bear to lose you."

"Black pudding," Jane said faintly. "Please, I want some black pudding to eat."

"Black pudding?" Henry asked, surprised. It was normally served at breakfast, and it was now mid afternoon. "Of course, darling. Whatever you want."

The black pudding was sent for right away, and when it arrived, Jane devoured every bite. After eating, she rested for a couple of hours, then awakened and asked for more black pudding.

Jane survived the night and seemed just a little bit stronger the following morning. Her color looked better as well. She asked for black pudding again.

"It's curious," Henry remarked. "She seems so much healthier after eating black pudding, as if it contains a substance that gives her strength."

By the end of that day, Jane was feeling much better, and within a few days, she was quite back to normal. Although Henry didn't understand the connection between the black pudding and his wife's recovery, he was thankful to God for sparing her life.

* * *

King Arthur and Queen Anne lay together in bed cuddling one night after a particularly passionate encounter.

"I wonder," Anne ventured, lazily trailing one finger through her husband's chest hair and circling a nipple. "Would it be all right for my cousin, Katherine Howard, to join my household as a lady-in-waiting? Her mother died when she was very young, and ever since then, she's lived in the household of my step-grandmother, Agnes Howard. My step-grandmother has many other wards, and I fear that poor Katherine is being neglected. A position at court would ensure that her needs are being met and would also greatly increase her chances of finding a suitable husband."

"Why, of course." Mellow after having just enjoyed his wife's physical ministrations, Arthur would likely have agreed to just about anything. "Send for her whenever you want. I'm sure I could find a place for her here."

"Oh, thank you!" Anne exclaimed, kissing her husband's lips. "I knew you'd understand."

"Of course, darling. Anything for you." Arthur embraced his wife and kissed the top of her head.

* * *

Katherine Howard arrived at court a short time later. Charles, the younger brother of Henry and Edward and third son of Henry and Katherine, watched as she entered, her long blonde hair gracefully cascading over her shoulders. He stared as if hypnotized, unable to tear his eyes away. He knew that he'd have to find a way to introduce himself to her as soon as possible.

As Katherine headed for the Queen's chambers, she brushed past a young man who was headed in the opposite direction. He was of average height, with very straight dark blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. When he smiled, he had the most adorable dimples.

"You must be the new lady-in-waiting," he said.

"Why, yes, I am," she told him.

"It's lovely to meet you." His smile oozed charm. "I'm Thomas Culpepper."


	16. Thomas Culpepper

"Hello, Thomas." Katherine's eyes sparkled as he took her proffered hand and kissed it. "It's lovely to meet you as well."

"I was just about to go for a stroll in the garden," Thomas told her. "Would you care to accompany me?"

"If the Queen has no urgent need of me now, then certainly," Katherine replied.

As it turned out, the Queen did not have urgent need of Katherine at the time, so she was free to go for a walk with Thomas in the garden, after all. Charles saw them walking together, and his heart fell.

* * *

While Thomas and Katherine were enjoying a stroll in the garden, Edward and his wife, Anne of Cleves, were enjoying a walk of their own.

"The flowers of your country are so lovely," said Anne as she stopped to pick one and hold it to her nose. "I never tire of admiring their beauty."

"Neither do I," Edward agreed.

"I'm so glad our son or daughter will be able to grow up amidst such beauty," said Anne.

Edward grinned. "Are you trying to tell me something?"

Anne nodded. "It's true. I am with child."

"Oh, Anne!" Edward exclaimed joyfully, grabbing her up into a big hug.

* * *

Katherine was enjoying her walk with Thomas so much that she didn't even notice that he was leading her into a more secluded area far from the palace until she saw that she was surrounded on all sides by tall trees and was all alone except for Thomas.

"I've never been to this section of the palace grounds," she commented.

"It's good to be adventurous, to go beyond your comfort zone," Thomas replied. "It's really beautiful here, isn't it?"

"Oh, yes!" she whispered, looking around.

_"You're _beautiful," said Thomas, kissing her.

"Why, Thomas!" she gasped as she felt his tongue touch hers.

"Don't you like me?" Thomas looked puzzled and a bit hurt.

"Why, of _course _I like you." She giggled. "It's just that you're only the second man who's ever kissed me like that."

"Who was the first man?" he demanded jealously.

"His name was Francis Dereham."

"Come here," Thomas whispered fiercely, crushing her body to his own. "I'm going to make you forget all about Francis Dereham."

Eagerly his hands wandered all over her body, caressing her breasts and buttocks. She gasped as she felt him harden against her leg, then moved to touch him there.

Suddenly she swooned as she felt her heart racing.

"I'm scared, Thomas," she whimpered. "This just seems to be going so fast..."

"There's nothing to be afraid of," Thomas told her. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"Please, Thomas," she said timidly. "I think we'd better head back to the palace now."

Thomas looked angry as he grabbed her hand roughly and headed back to the palace with her.

Several days later, Charles was strolling the palace grounds alone when he saw Katherine sitting beside a small pond, sobbing her heart out.

"What's wrong, my lady?" he asked, sitting beside her.

"It's Thomas Culpepper," she told him. "He's just been arrested for rape and murder."


	17. A Death And A Birth

On the morning of Thomas Culpepper's execution, Charles noticed Katherine Howard standing near the scaffold. He saw that her eyes were red from crying and longed to hold and comfort her but feared that his advances might be unwelcome.

There was no trace of the usual smirk on Thomas' pale face as two guards escorted him up the steps of the scaffold. Instead, his eyes darted back and forth nervously, reminding Charles of those of a frightened animal just before a killing.

One of the guards read the charges against Thomas and asked him if he had any last words. Thomas shook his head, and the two guards pushed him to the block and shoved him into place. The executioner raised his axe and it quickly slashed down, ending the life of Thomas Culpepper with one swift stroke.

Katherine Howard screamed as Thomas' head fell into the waiting basket, and instantly Charles was there beside her, attempting to comfort her.

"He was so handsome and charming," she sobbed. "He wanted me to lie with him, but I thought it was too soon and became afraid. I knew that he was angry about my refusal, but I didn't realize he'd do something like this!"

"Please don't feel badly about it," said Charles. "It wasn't your fault. He was just a bad person who knew how to put on a false front. He could have fooled anyone."

"Perhaps I don't deserve a good man, after all," Katherine said softly.

"Why, of course you do! Why shouldn't you?" asked Charles.

"I have a past," Katherine admitted. "Before Thomas, there was another man, Francis Dereham..."

"To the right man, that won't matter," Charles assured her.

"You are so kind!" Katherine exclaimed.

"As are you." Charles smiled modestly. "You're very beautiful as well."

"Why, thank you!" Katherine exclaimed, blushing furiously.

And so on the day of a beheading, a new relationship began.

* * *

One evening when Anne of Cleves was about eight months pregnant, she retired to her chambers right after dinner, complaining of a severe stomachache.

"Do you need me to fetch the physician?" asked Edward, worried.

"Oh, no, that's quite all right," Anne replied. "I'm sure I'll be fine after I rest a bit."

Several hours passed, and Edward, having heard nothing more from his wife, went to check on her and got the shock of his life. There lay Anne, pushing and straining, red in the face from the exertion.

"Help me, Edward!" she cried. "The baby's coming, now!"

Edward quickly removed her underclothing and realized that he could already see the top of the baby's head between her legs.

"I have to push again!" Anne exclaimed.

"Do it!" Edward told her. "You're almost there!"

Anne gave a mighty push, and the baby's head emerged. After several more pushes, the baby's body was completely out.

"We have a son!" Edward said happily. "But something's wrong," he added, gazing at the tiny, blue, limp body.

"Edward!" Anne cried, distraught.

Edward gently picked the baby's body up and began to rub it between his hands. Its color slowly changed from blue to purple to pink, and it began to move its limbs and make tiny, mewing noises.

Edward and Anne both gave huge sighs of relief.

"He's alive!" Anne exclaimed joyfully. Tenderly she took her new son into her arms and held him to her breast.

"He's tiny, but he's perfect!" added Edward.

"I'd like to call him Andrew, if that's all right with you," said Anne.

"It's fine with me," Edward replied. As he watched his wife cuddle their newborn son, he knew that he'd never loved her more than he did right at that moment.


	18. Philip Of Bavaria

Charles and Katherine's relationship blossomed quickly, and they soon knew that they were in love. They were married almost six months to the day after they'd first met, and within a couple of months, Katherine was with child.

"With all the new grandchildren we keep getting, I'd say there's virtually no chance of our line dying out any time soon," Henry, Sr. said to his wife Katherine one day. "Arthur and Anne have five now, George and Joanna have two, Henry and Jane just had their second, Edward and Anne have little Andrew, and now Katherine's expecting. No telling how many more little surprises are in store for us."

"I'm just so happy that they're all healthy, and that all the mothers survived," Katherine replied.

One day a foreign prince arrived at the English court, having traveled all the way from Bavaria. He was very handsome, with dark brown hair, clear blue eyes, and a nicely trimmed beard. He watched the girls dancing at court. Two of the dancing girls were the two youngest daughters of Henry and Katherine, Mary and Isabella.

"What a fox!" Isabella, the younger sister, whispered to Mary.

Mary looked at Philip, and her eyes widened. He was indeed the best looking young man she'd ever seen.

"You're too young for him," she whispered back to Isabella.

"I am _not, _either!" Isabella retorted angrily.

Mary noticed that the newcomer was walking toward her.

"Hello," he said, extending his hand. "I'm Philip."

"I'm Mary." She smiled back and extended her own hand, and he kissed it.

"Would you like to dance?"

"I'd love to!"

As Isabella watched the dance, silently fuming, a plan began to form in her mind.

* * *

"It certainly is a lovely day, isn't it?" asked George.

"It certainly is!" Joanna agreed. They and their children, six-year-old Georgia and four-year-old Thomas, were having a picnic on the palace grounds. While George and Joanna spread the quilt on the ground and began to set the food out, Georgia and Thomas played hide-and-seek.

"Eight...nine...ten...ready or not, here I come!" shouted Georgia. She looked in all the obvious hiding places, but her brother wasn't in any of them. Becoming slightly worried, she began to search in more distant places, wandering so far away that she could barely hear her parents calling to her, telling her that it was time to eat.

"Mama, Papa, I can't find Tommy anywhere!" she cried as she ran to them.

"We haven't been here that long," said Joanna. "He can't have wandered that far away."

"He's just playing a trick on you," George assured his daughter. "He'll come out when he gets hungry enough."

"I think we'd better start looking for him right away," Joanna said nervously. She and George began to search frantically for their son, calling his name constantly. There was no answer.

Eventually they arrived at a stream.

"Oh dear God," Joanna groaned when she saw what was floating on top of the water.

It was one of Thomas' shoes.

* * *

"It was so lovely of your family to invite me for dinner," Philip of Bavaria said to Mary. He, Mary, Isabella, Henry, and Katherine were all seated around a table upon which sat a roasted duck surrounded by vegetables.

"We're all pleased that you could come," Katherine replied with a smile.

"Everything is just so delicious," Philip remarked, helping himself to a generous slice of roasted duck.

Conversation flowed pleasantly for several minutes, and then a look of horror suddenly crossed Mary's face. She jumped up from her seat and began to search frantically for a chamber pot. Everyone stared after her, startled, except for Isabella, who feigned concentration on slicing her meat.

It was some moments before Mary returned to the table, red-faced and looking very stressed. She took a few more bites of her meal and then excused herself and returned to her bedchambers, claiming that her stomach still felt funny.

Isabella chatted animatedly with Philip for the remainder of the meal. Afterwards he suggested paying Mary a quick visit just to make sure that she was all right before departing for his own guest chambers.

"Oh, she'll be fine," Isabella quickly assured him. "She has a very delicate stomach. This happens to her a lot."

"Oh, dear." Philip looked distressed. "I'm very sorry to hear that."

_"My _stomach isn't delicate at all," Isabella said quickly. "I _never _get sick."

"That's good," said Philip. "Well, be sure and tell your sister that I hope she's feeling better soon."

"Of course I will," Isabella assured him.


	19. Isabella's Jealousy

"Mama! Papa! You're here!" George and Joanna turned to see their young son running toward them, tears running down his cheeks.

"Tommy!" Joanna grabbed the little boy and squeezed him tight. "Where have you been? We've been looking everywhere for you!"

"I saw a rabbit and ran after it," Thomas said. "While I was running I came to the stream. I took my shoes off because I wanted to wade in it. While I was wading in the water, I saw the rabbit again and ran after it. After awhile I got lost and was really scared. I came to the stream again, and that's when I saw you."

"Well, all's well that ends well, I suppose," George said lightly. Joanna just held the boy tightly and didn't say anything.

* * *

Within a couple of hours, Mary was fine. She asked her mother about Philip and was told that he'd already left.

"I wanted so badly to say good-bye to him," she said.

After saying good-bye to Philip, Isabella danced away joyfully. "He's mine!" she sang gleefully.

The following day, Philip visited again to see how Mary was feeling. He brought her a bouquet of flowers. Isabella saw him coming and rushed to meet him. "Why, Philip, they're lovely!" she exclaimed, reaching for the flowers. "Thank you!"

"They're for Mary," Philip told her, holding the flowers out of her reach. She pouted as he went in search of her sister.

"Mary!" he exclaimed when he saw her. "Do you feel all right?"

"I'm fine, thanks," she said with a smile. "I don't know what came over me last night, but it seems to have passed."

Philip handed the flowers to her. "For me? They're lovely! Thank you!"

He smiled. "Would you like to go for a walk with me in the garden?"

"I'd love to!"

"Isabella told me that you have a delicate stomach and become ill frequently," Philip remarked as they strolled.

"Not at all." Mary frowned. "That's the first time I've been sick in so long I can't even remember the last time." An uncomfortable thought occurred to Mary, but she quickly dismissed it. _That simply couldn't have happened. Isabella would never be that mean..._

"What's she like? Your sister Isabella, I mean."

"She's all right most of the time, I suppose. But she does tend to lose her temper when she doesn't get her way about things."

"She likes me, you know." Philip chuckled.

"Do you like her as well?" Mary held her breath.

"She seems nice, and she's certainly attractive," Philip replied. "But there's a certain connection I feel with you that I've never felt with any other woman."

Mary beamed. Philip lifted her chin with his fingers and kissed her lips. To her it was magic.

From a window in the palace, Isabella watched, fuming.

* * *

"I have asked your father for your hand in marriage, and he has given his consent," Philip told Mary a short time later.

"Hurray!" Mary shouted as Philip picked her up and spun her around happily.

The next few days were filled with excited plans for Mary's journey to Bavaria to wed Philip. The only family member who wasn't thrilled about the match was Isabella. She was cross with everyone and glowered darkly at her sister when nobody was looking.

"This wedding will never take place, if there's anything I can do about it," she said to herself.


	20. Lying To Philip

"Philip! Oh, Philip!" Isabella called to her future brother-in-law as she ran toward him.

"Isabella! What is it?" Philip frowned, surprised.

"I've something very important to show you. Something you should know about." Breathlessly she showed him the monogrammed handkerchief she'd stolen from Edward Seymour's chambers. Philip looked at it, puzzled.

"My sister is having an affair with Viscount Beauchamp," Isabella said mournfully. "He accidentally left his handkerchief in her chambers. I found it when I was in there looking for a brooch she'd borrowed. I confronted her about it, and she admitted it. She gave him her maidenhead, Philip. Now she might be carrying his child."

Philip just stared at her, too stunned to say a word.

"I'm so sorry, Philip." Isabella's voice oozed sympathy. "I really hate to have to tell you this, but I thought that you should know before you wed her."

"You're right." Philip sighed. "Thank you for telling me."

* * *

"I honestly don't know what to do about that sister of yours," Philip told Mary later. "She's really serious about trying to prevent our marriage. She came to me and accused you of having an affair with Edward Seymour. She showed me his monogrammed handkerchief, claiming she'd found it in your chambers, but I know you well enough to know you haven't been with him."

Mary frowned. "That time I got sick," she said. "Isabella must have put something in my food. I never would have believed she'd have done something that mean. Now I feel like I don't even really know her."

"Well, we'll soon be in Bavaria and away from her anyway," Philip said consolingly.

"It just breaks my heart to know that my own sister hates me that much," said Mary.

"I don't think it's that she hates you," said Philip. "I think she's just a bit jealous. I'm sure she'll get over it when she meets a man of her own and falls madly in love with him."

"You're probably right," Mary replied. "And, like you said, we'll soon be in Bavaria anyway. Still, I wonder whether I should tell my parents about it."

"It would only make them worry, wouldn't it?" asked Philip.

"I suppose so," Mary agreed.

* * *

"You're doing really well," the midwife told Katherine. "Just give me one more big push."

"I can't take this anymore!" Katherine screamed. "If I'd known it was going to hurt this much, I never would have let Charles bed me!"

"When it's all over with and your new little one is in your arms, you'll forget all about the pain," the midwife predicted.

"No I won't...oh!" Another contraction hit Katherine, and she pushed and groaned with all her might.

"Here's the head!" exclaimed the midwife.

Katherine mustered all her strength and pushed once again.

"Here come the shoulders, and...it's a boy!" the midwife exclaimed joyfully. Deftly she flipped the newborn over and smacked his bottom, and he began to wail.

"Oh, let me see him!" Katherine exclaimed.

The midwife cleaned and swaddled the baby and handed him to his mother. Then she moved aside the curtain surrounding the birthing chamber.

"You may come in now," she told Charles.

"Is Katherine all right?" he asked anxiously.

"Katherine's fine," the midwife assured him. "You have a healthy new son!"

"A son!" Charles exclaimed happily. He went in to see Katherine, who was sitting up in bed looking tired but very happy and holding her new son.

"Hi, sweetheart," he said. "Did it hurt very much?"

"Not at all," said Katherine. "He's beautiful, isn't he?"

"Absolutely gorgeous," Charles agreed.

"I want to name him Charles," said Katherine.

"Thanks. I'm honored," Charles replied.


	21. Mary's Joy, Isabella's Pain

To Mary's delight, the land of Bavaria was beautiful. Her wedding turned out to be everything she'd hoped it would be, only to be eclipsed by her wedding night.

She wore the most beautiful gown she owned, which she had saved for just this occasion. Eagerly she waited in her bedchambers for Philip to come to her. For ever so long, she'd dreamed of the moment when Philip would make her a woman, and at last that moment was at hand. Finally he appeared, wearing nothing but a nightshirt.

"Do you like it?" she asked, referring to her nightgown.

"Oh, Mary, it's beautiful! _You're _beautiful," he said. He sat on the edge of the bed and began to kiss her as she ran her fingers through his hair. He fondled her breasts through the material of her gown until he could feel their stiff peaks through the material. Swiftly he removed first his own nightshirt, then her gown. Her heart began to hammer madly as she felt his hands all over her body, exploring. They slipped between her legs, and a sensation like none she'd ever felt before went through her as his fingers gently slid between the silky folds of skin there, now slick with desire. Involuntarily she moaned and writhed.

"Please don't stop," she begged him. His fingers found her sensitive nub and caressed it, and instantly her first orgasm washed over her.

"This may hurt a bit, but I'll be just as gentle as I can," he told her as he positioned himself and then entered her. She felt a slight pain that was soon overcome by ecstasy. Philip thrust very gently, giving her time to get used to his girth. When he finally exploded inside her, he gasped and groaned, then pulled out of her and lay beside her.

"Did I please you?" he asked.

"Yes. Did I please you?"

"Very much so." He smiled sleepily and held her close to himself. Soon they were both fast asleep.

* * *

"But I haven't done anything!" Isabella protested at being summoned by her parents.

"I never said you had," Katherine told her youngest daughter. "But things have been different lately, have they not? I'm sure you've noticed. Ever since Philip of Bavaria arrived to court your sister, you simply haven't been the same person. I'd even go so far as to say that I suspect you may have had something to do with Mary's illness the first night he had dinner with us."

Isabella gasped, shocked.

"A mother can sense these things."

Feeling that she'd just admitted her guilt, Isabella stared at the floor, unable to meet her mother's eyes.

"Here's what's going to happen," Katherine continued. "Arrangements have been made for you to attend Our Lady Of The Immaculate Conception girls' school in Cambridge. You have twenty-four hours to pack all the belongings you want to take. You depart first thing in the morning day after next."

"But Mama, that's so _far!" _Isabella protested. "And how will I ever find a husband at an all girls' school?"

"I feel that you need some time away from the company of young men to focus on more important things, like your education," Katherine replied. "When the time for you to wed arrives, a suitable husband will be found for you from amongst the eligible princes of Europe."

"But what if I want to choose my own spouse, like my brothers and sisters did?"

"I suspect that you lack the discerning skills they possess and so might make an inappropriate choice," said Katherine. "Perhaps a couple of years at Our Lady will help you to mature so that you can make better decisions."

"It isn't fair!" Isabella fumed as she stalked to her chambers. She was certain that her years at the all girls' school in Cambridge would be the most miserable of her life.


	22. Geoffrey

Her first few days at Our Lady Of The Immaculate Conception turned out to be every bit as miserable as Isabella had suspected they'd be, and worse. The headmistress, a severe-looking woman called Sister Teresa, assured her that she could expect no special treatment as the result of being the niece of the King.

"Each student here is expected to devote her entire being to her studies and to her divinely appointed duties, and you shall be no exception," she informed Isabella upon her arrival.

Next Isabella was shown to her chambers, which were small, modest and very plain by comparison to those she'd occupied at the palace. As she entered, she saw a thin, pale blonde, apparently her new roommate, sitting beside the window reading the Bible. The girl glanced up at the sound of Isabella's feet.

"You must be Prince Henry's daughter," she said with a smile. "Greetings. My name is Regina."

"I'm Isabella," Isabella replied unenthusiastically, going to her bed and beginning to sort her belongings and put them away.

"We have a couple of hours for reading and studying before the evening meal," Regina told her. "Afterwards we go to the chapel for evening prayers, then Sister Teresa questions us on things about the Bible, then we study some more and have private prayer, and then it's time for bed.

"Is there not time for dancing, singing, or making merry, then?" Isabella was crestfallen.

"Oh, no! Not here," Regina told her.

At the evening meal, Isabella and the other girls had to wait while the priest, a man named Father Flynn, blessed the meal, which seemed to go on and on forever. By the time he was finally finished, the food was cold, but Isabella knew that she didn't dare complain.

That night in her bed, Isabella wept silently into her pillow so that Regina wouldn't hear her. _What did I ever do to deserve this? _she asked herself, over and over again.

* * *

"Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel..." Isabella recited hopefully.

Sister Teresa slammed her hand down on the top of the desk, her eyes blazing. Isabella jumped, and her eyes widened.

"Isaiah, Jeremiah, _Lamentations!" _Sister Teresa snarled. "Lamentations is a book in the Bible too, or have your forgotten that already?"

"No, Madame," Isabella said meekly. "I'm very sorry, Sister Teresa. I'll study harder, and next time you ask me, I'll know all the books in the correct order without leaving out a single one."

"As punishment, you may draw water for the preparation of the evening meal. Perhaps manual labor will help compel you to be more attentive in your studies of God's word."

Isabella grumbled as she carried the pole with a bucket swinging from each end toward the well. In her previous life at the palace, nobody would have dared to treat her in this manner. She was the King's niece. What would he say when he learned what she'd been forced to do here? She couldn't wait to write and tell him.

"You look far too beautiful and delicate to be doing work like that." A young male voice suddenly interrupted her reverie, and she turned to see the handsomest young man she'd ever met looking right at her. He had short brown hair, blue eyes, and a very neatly trimmed goatee. He was even better looking than Philip of Bavaria was.

"Sister Teresa sent me to draw water as punishment for having forgotten one of the books of the Bible," Isabella complained.

"Well, now, that's a real shame," the young man said. "All that work for a simple mistake."

"They treat me like a slave around here," Isabella muttered.

"I'm Geoffrey," the young man told her, extending his hand. "I work in the stables here."

"I'm Isabella, the youngest daughter of Prince Henry and the Dowager Queen Katherine."

"Is that so." A sly grin appeared on Geoffrey's face.


	23. In The Stable

"I'm quite certain that I've never seen you before." Geoffrey's eyes surveyed the outside of the school, which to him looked very similar to an armed fortress. "So do they not allow you much opportunity for outdoor sports or horseback riding, then?"

"They don't allow us much opportunity for anything at all but school work and Bible study. It's boring here. I hate it!" Isabella scowled.

"Such a shame." Geoffrey's eyes were gleaming as he shook his head. "You have evening prayers, right?"

"Of course we do. Every evening."

"Wait until everyone's head is bowed in prayer." Geoffrey's voice was low, conspiratorial. "Then sneak out the back entrance and meet me in the stable."

Isabella whistled merrily as she carried the pales of water back to the school. She was restless and distracted for the rest of the day, unable to think about anything but her upcoming rendezvous with Geoffrey.

At last the time for evening prayer arrived. Isabella waited until Father Flynn was about halfway finished, then soundlessly made her way to the back entrance and slipped out the door.

Freedom at last! Isabella dashed to the stable, where she found Geoffrey waiting for her. Pressing his finger to his lips, he swiftly led her to a bale of hay in the far corner.

Together they lay down on the hay. It was prickly and scratched Isabella's skin, but she barely noticed, as Geoffrey's lips were already upon hers, kissing her deeply and passionately. Isabella had never kissed a boy that way before but quickly picked up the technique. Geoffrey's hands moved all over her body, leaving a steaming trail of awakened desire. Isabella could feel the hardness of his arousal through his clothing, and it made her heart pound in anticipation.

Geoffrey unfastened her dress and allowed it to fall away, exposing the tiny pink rosebuds of her nipples, which he began to gently suckle upon as she moaned in ecstasy.

Geoffrey began to loosen his pants and slipped his erect member out of his hose.

"Oh!" Isabella gasped, reaching to touch it. However, she became alarmed when he positioned himself to enter her.

"Oh, no, Geoffrey! Please don't take my maidenhead! I must save it for my husband on my wedding night!"

"Who's going to stop me from taking your maidenhead?" Geoffrey laughed cruelly. "There's nobody here but you and me. Do you think that you can fight me by yourself?"

Isabella tried to scream, but Geoffrey clamped his hand over her mouth. She tried to wriggle out from under him, but he had her securely pinned down.

"You may as well just go ahead and give yourself to me. It'll be easier that way, and you won't have to worry about getting hurt."

Frightened tears filled Isabella's eyes as she frantically whipped her head back and forth.

"What on earth is going on here?" Startled, Geoffrey and Isabella looked to see the stable manager glowering at them.

"Nothing at all, sir," Geoffrey muttered, quickly straightening his clothing and trying to dash past the manager, who grabbed his arm. Isabella was vengefully pleased to see Geoffrey standing there with his eyes darting madly back and forth like those of a cornered animal seeking an escape route. She felt the stable manager's eyes boring through her as she slowly began to put her dress back on.

"The two of you have some serious explaining to do." Isabella felt her heart sink as the manager grabbed her roughly by the arm with his free hand and dragged his two captives toward Sister Teresa's office.


	24. An Unexpected Friend

As the carriage journeyed toward London, Isabella didn't know whether to feel relieved or apprehensive; relieved that she was no longer under the authority of Our Lady Of The Immaculate Conception and Sister Teresa, apprehensive at the fury she was sure to face from her parents at her expulsion from the school and the circumstances that had brought it about.

She was still furious at Geoffrey for what he'd tried to do to her. The stable manager had told Sister Teresa what he'd seen, and the director had been so angry that she hadn't even allowed Isabella to tell _her _version of the story. At least Geoffrey had been dismissed from his position as a stable boy, so he hadn't gotten off scot free either, she told herself gloomily.

When they finally arrived at Whitehall Palace, Isabella had the sudden urge to dash into the forest but realized that that would only serve to delay the inevitable. With a heavy heart, she slowly made her way inside.

She saw the look of disappointment and hurt in her mother's eyes and felt an unexpected stab of guilt. Never before had she actually given any serious thought to how her actions affected other people.

"I...I'm sorry, Mother." Her voice quivered, and she was surprised to find that she was near tears.

"We've tried everything we can think of, Isabella, and nothing has gotten through to you." Katherine's voice was heavy with sorrow. "The only solution I can think of is to have you wed to whatever European prince is available as quickly as possible."

Isabella thought about leaving England, the only home she'd ever known, to marry a complete stranger, a man who might treat her cruelly. _No! _she wanted to scream.

She tried to hold the tears in until she got to her chambers but found that she simply couldn't. Sobbing uncontrollably, she ran right smack into a man who was walking in the opposite direction. To her surprise, she saw that he was none other than Viscount Beauchamp himself, Edward Seymour.

"Princess Isabella!" he exclaimed in surprise. "I thought that you were away at school! Hey, what's wrong?" His voice became soft with concern when he saw that she was crying.

"I...I...can't talk about it right now," she gasped.

Edward put a caring hand on her shoulder. "Would you like to have some tea with me?" he asked. "Perhaps that would make you feel better."

"A-all right," Isabella sniffled. With a start she realized that she'd never noticed what a dark brown his eyes were, how perfectly groomed his reddish brown hair and mustache were.

Sitting across from Edward in the parlor sipping tea, Isabella suddenly found herself telling the entire story of her stay at Our Lady Of The Immaculate Conception, the strict schedule of studies and prayer, the boredom, the loneliness, the encounter with Geoffrey, what had almost happened to her in the stable.

Edward gasped in shock. "Sweet Jesu, you were certainly fortunate that the stable manager arrived when he did!"

"I know that I was," Isabella said quietly. Suddenly she thought of something. "There's something of yours that I need to return."

Edward was taken aback. Quickly Isabella went to her chambers and returned with the monogrammed handkerchief.

Edward gasped. "But Isabella, what on earth were you doing with my handkerchief?"


	25. Ned To The Rescue

Isabella hung her head in shame. "I used it to try to trick Philip of Bavaria into thinking that my sister Mary had been intimate with you."

"And why, pray tell, would you want to do that?" Isabella was surprised to see that Edward looked as if he were struggling not to smile.

"I wanted Philip for myself," Isabella muttered, staring at her feet. "I now realize that what I did was very wrong."

She felt Edward's comforting hand on her shoulder and looked up into his sympathetic eyes. "Wrong, but understandable," he said generously. "I trust you've learned your lesson."

"Oh, yes!" Isabella exclaimed. "However, I fear that it may be too late. Mama says I must be married away to a European prince as quickly as possible." Isabella's eyes filled with tears. "Oh, Viscount Beauchamp, I don't want to leave England to marry a man I don't even know!"

"Call me Ned," Edward told her. "And it may be possible for you to stay in England, after all."

"Really? How?"

"If you were to marry an Englishman, you could stay." Edward's eyes were twinkling.

"My parents would never consent for me to marry a commoner," Isabella said glumly.

Edward looked thoughtful. "I shall speak to them. Perhaps we can work something out."

Isabella gasped. "Do you mean to tell me...that you shall ask for my hand in marriage?"

"Would you be agreeable to that arrangement?" Edward grinned.

"Oh, Ned!" Isabella hugged him tightly. He laughed and hugged her back.

* * *

Edward and Isabella were married soon afterwards. As she walked down the aisle toward her soon-to-be husband, Isabella's heart swelled with love and gratitude for him. Even after she'd told him what she'd done, he'd still cared enough to rescue her from an uncertain future in a foreign land. For that she'd always feel indebted to him.

She was happy and excited as she waited for him to come to her in her new bedchambers that night. At last she would become a woman. She'd waited so long for this moment, and it had finally arrived.

As Edward entered, she smiled shyly at him.

"My love." He took both her hands into his own and sat beside her on the bed. "You looked so lovely today as you walked down the aisle. My desire for you was so great that I could barely contain myself."

"My desire for you was great as well," Isabella replied.

Yet as Edward began to kiss and caress her, she was suddenly taken back to the experience with Geoffrey in the stable and stiffened with fear.

"Don't be afraid," Edward soothed. "It's me, Ned. You know that I would never hurt you."

Isabella relaxed and soon found that she enjoyed her new husband's ministrations. As his fingers slipped between her legs and began to fondle her intimate folds, she moaned with pleasure, and when they found her sensitive nub and gently rubbed it, the pleasure was so intense that she cried out.

"So do you like that?" Edward asked her teasingly.

"Oh, yes!" she panted. Her own fingers reached to fondle his erect member through his hose. Deftly he pulled them down, and she began to lightly run her fingers over his smooth flesh, enjoying the skin-to-skin contact.

When at last he entered her, there was some pain, but it passed quickly.

Later, as she fell asleep in her new husband's arms, Isabella reflected that although things hadn't turned out quite as she'd expected them to, she couldn't have asked for a happier outcome.


	26. Elena And Elisa

Within several months of her marriage to Philip of Bavaria, Mary discovered that she was with child. Her joy was now complete, as she and Philip eagerly looked forward to the birth. Although she missed her parents and the lush green fields of England, she enjoyed taking long strolls in the garden of her majestic new home with Philip, or sitting in the parlor playing cards with or being read to by him on rainy days.

Finally the day arrived that Mary went into labor. Philip paced nervously outside her bedchambers, awaiting news. Inside, Mary grunted and strained with the effort of giving birth. At last she felt a burning sensation followed by a release. All was silent for a moment, and then she heard the thin wail of a newborn.

"You have a daughter, Your Grace!" the midwife announced.

"Oh, let me see her!" Mary cried. Just then another intense pain, combined with the urge to bear down, hit her. "Something's wrong!" she gasped.

Immediately the midwife handed the newborn to an attendant and turned back to Mary, just in time to see the second baby crowning.

"Sweet Jesu!" she exclaimed. "You are giving birth yet again!"

Mary pushed several more times, and the second child slid from her body.

"You have another daughter!" the midwife announced. A second daughter! What would Philip say?

The babes were cleaned, wrapped in blankets, and placed in their mother's arms. A few minutes later, Philip entered the bedchambers, a slight smile playing about his lips.

"I'm sorry," said Mary. "I know you would have preferred for at least one of them to have been a boy."

"I don't mind at all," said Philip. "They're beautiful!" He took one of the babies into his arms. "We'll call this one Elena, and the other can be Elisa."

"Those are beautiful names," Mary murmured before slipping into a well-deserved nap.

* * *

As Elena and Elisa grew, it became obvious that they were identical. They resembled one another so strongly that at times they were even able to fool their parents.

When the twins were about four years old, Elena came down with a minor malady for which the physician prescribed a particularly bitter-tasting herb. One day Mary prepared to give her daughter a dose of the tonic and the little girl pressed her lips together tightly and shook her head vehemently.

"Open up, Elena," Mary said sternly. "If you don't take your medicine, you won't get better. Don't you want to be well again?"

"But I'm Elisa!" the little girl exclaimed.

Just then Mary heard a tell-tale giggle from behind the door of the closet and, with consternation, went to collect the culprit.


	27. Bess And Robin

Elizabeth, the youngest child and only daughter of King Arthur and his wife Anne Boleyn, was having a terrible day at school. The class was studying arithmetic, her least favorite subject, and the one that was the most difficult for her.

"Bess," said the instructor. "Can you tell me what three times six is?"

"Um...twenty?"

"Incorrect." Elizabeth felt her face redden as the other students, except for one boy, who looked at her sympathetically, snickered. The boy had dark brown hair and the darkest eyes Elizabeth had ever seen. She thought he looked a lot like a gypsy.

"Robert," the instructor said.

"Eighteen," said the boy.

"Very well," the instructor told him.

Humiliated, Elizabeth stared at the top of her desk. She couldn't wait for recess, when she could go to her own special corner of the garden.

At last it was time for class to be dismissed. As Elizabeth stood, she felt a hand lightly touch her elbow and turned to look into Robert's dark eyes.

"If you want, I could help you with arithmetic," Robert offered.

Elizabeth just stared, not sure what to say.

Robert smiled disarmingly. "I'm Robert Dudley, but you can call me Robin."

"I'm Bess," Elizabeth replied. "My father is the King."

"I know," Robert told her.

Elizabeth felt torn. As badly as she wanted to go to her special place in the garden, she didn't want to leave this nice-looking boy who'd offered to help her.

"Would you like to see my special place?" she asked Robin. "Nobody knows about it but me. I like to go there to write poetry or draw or just think."

"Sure. I'd love to," said Robin.

Elizabeth showed Robin her special corner of the garden, and they had so much fun playing there together that they almost didn't hear the instructor calling the students to return to class.

"Would you like to come over for dinner tonight?" Robin asked Elizabeth after school had ended for the day.

"I'll have to ask my mother, but I'm sure it will be all right," Elizabeth replied. Permission granted, she was escorted to the Dudley home by her governess, Kat Ashley.

"Why, hello there," said Robin's mother as she opened the door to let Elizabeth in. "You must be Robin's friend from school."

"Yes, madame." Elizabeth curtsied. "I'm Bess."

"Please, come on in," said Lady Dudley. She looked tired but had warm, friendly brown eyes. "Dinner is almost ready."

Elizabeth noticed a couple of boys slightly younger than Robin gaping at her.

"You act like you never saw a girl before," Robin scolded them. "My younger brothers, Guilford and Henry," he said to Elizabeth.

"Hello," she said to them.

Two older boys strode past, looking curiously at Elizabeth as they noticed her. "My older brothers, John and Ambrose," Robin continued.

A couple of girls, both around Elizabeth's age, stood whispering and giggling.

"Cut that out." Robin glared at them. "These are my sisters, Mary and Temperance," he told Elizabeth.

"Hello," both girls said at the same time.

From somewhere a baby started crying. Lady Dudley quickly left the room and returned carrying the infant, whose cries had dwindled to a whimper.

"My baby sister's name is Katherine," Robin told Elizabeth.

Elizabeth enjoyed her visit with Robin's loud and boisterous but happy family. It was so different from the more subdued meals she shared with her own family.

"Thank you so much for visiting us, sweetheart," Lady Dudley said to Elizabeth as she prepared to leave. "Please come again soon."

"Oh, I will! Thank you, madame!" Elizabeth replied. As she returned home, she reflected that the day hadn't gone so very badly, after all.


	28. Lost

As they grew older, Elizabeth and Robin became very close friends. Robin was an excellent horseman, and he taught Elizabeth to ride.

One bright, sunny morning, the two young people met at the stable. Quickly Robin helped Elizabeth mount her horse, then mounted his own, and they rode out into the field.

With the wind blowing through her hair, Elizabeth experienced a wild euphoria.

"Oh, Robin, I'm so happy!" she called to her friend.

"Race you to the stream!" he shouted back. He beat her by a hairpin.

"You're getting faster," he told her admiringly as they sat letting the horses rest for a minute.

Elizabeth smiled at the compliment.

After that race, another goal was set, and then another. Robin and Elizabeth were having so much fun that they quite lost track of time, until suddenly Elizabeth looked at her friend with eyes filled with alarm. "Where are we, Robin?"

Robin frowned. "I'm not sure, but we can't be too far from the stable. We'll simply retrace our steps."

Half an hour or so later, they were no closer to home. Elizabeth suddenly felt the first raindrop on her nose, and within moments, it was pouring.

Frightened, Elizabeth began to cry. "Oh, Robin, we'll never get back home!"

"Don't cry, Bessie." Robin tried his best to comfort his friend. "I'm sure we'll be home soon."

After awhile they saw a man on horseback approaching them and soon realized that he was Robin's father, John Dudley.

"What in blazes are you two doing all the way out here?" he demanded.

"I'm sorry, Father," said Robin. "I don't know what happened. We were just having so much fun that we forgot to pay attention to where we were going."

"Well, come along," John said shortly. "Queen Anne is worried sick."

Although relieved to have finally been found, Elizabeth couldn't help but feel anxious about the coming confrontation with her mother. Would the Queen be angry at her for getting lost?

Anne watched the wet, bedraggled Elizabeth approach, and when she dismounted, ran to her and embraced her. "Oh, my baby! I was so worried!"

After awhile, she took Elizabeth's hand and led her to her chambers. "Let's get you out of those wet clothes before you catch your death of cold!"

She quickly stripped her daughter and put her in the bathtub, where she swiftly washed her and dressed her in clean clothes. It was only then that she let Elizabeth know how angry she was.

"What on earth got into you that made you wander so far from home?" she demanded.

"I'm sorry, Mama," Elizabeth sniffled. "Robin wanted me to race him, and we were having so much fun that we just didn't know how far we'd ridden until it was too late."

"That boy is a bad influence on you," said Anne. "I don't think you should associate with him anymore."

"But Mama, he's my best friend!" Elizabeth was near tears.

"Not anymore, he isn't." Anne walked away from Elizabeth's chambers, leaving the young girl sobbing.

Elizabeth did have the sniffles the next day and was confined to bed. Robin came to visit her but was turned away well before he could get to her chambers. Later Elizabeth asked if he'd come to see her and her mother told her that he hadn't.


	29. The Party

"She's a beautiful baby," Thomas Seymour said to his brother and sister-in-law, Edward and Isabella. Ten-month-old Jane Seymour looked up at her uncle with her round blue eyes and gurgled at him.

"Thank you," Isabella said with a smile.

"Smart as well," Edward added with a grin. "She knows perfectly well that you're talking about her."

"Lately I've come to the conclusion that it's about time I settled down myself," Thomas announced. "Alas, there seems to be a shortage of available and desirable women at court."

"You haven't met my friend Katherine Parr yet, have you?" asked Isabella. "I've been meaning to introduce you to her. I just know you'd like her."

Edward and Isabella arranged to have Thomas and Isabella over for dinner together one night the following week. The introduction was a success, and soon Thomas and Katherine were seeing one another frequently. Within months their betrothal was announced, and they were married soon afterwards.

* * *

One day King Arthur and Queen Anne gave a huge, lavish party. Thomas and Katherine, who by that time was with child, attended. While Katherine was chatting with Isabella and some of her other friends, Thomas approached Elizabeth.

"This is a wonderful party, is it not?" he asked her.

"Of course it is," she replied. "All my father's parties are wonderful."

"And you look to be enjoying yourself."

"Oh, I am. Aren't you?"

"I am as well, especially as I am in the presence of a beautiful young lady like yourself."

Pleased, Elizabeth blushed.

"It's a lovely day," said Thomas. "How would you like to take a walk with me?"

"All right!"

Thomas took Elizabeth's arm, and they began to walk. Eventually Elizabeth noticed that they'd wandered far from the rest of the group. They were in the same section of the garden Thomas Culpepper had taken Katherine Howard to on that long-ago day.

"I think we'd better go back now." Elizabeth's voice was quivering.

"We'll go back in a little while," Thomas replied. "I want to talk to you for awhile first."

"What about?"

"You know the difference between men and women, don't you?"

"Of course I do!" Elizabeth said scornfully.

"Have you ever seen a male organ?"

"I don't think so." Elizabeth frowned. "What are you doing?"

Shocked, she watched as Thomas lowered his breeches and hose, took out his organ, and showed it to her. With her heart pounding, she turned and ran in the opposite direction as quickly as she could, until she bumped right smack into someone and looked up to see that he was none other than Robin Dudley.

"Bessie!" he exclaimed. "What's wrong?"

"Thomas Seymour," she gasped. "He...scared me!"

"But what did he do?"

"He...he..." Suddenly she blushed bright red and couldn't finish.

"Did he hurt you, Bessie?"

She shook her head.

"What happened, then?"

"I...can't talk about it."

"But why not?"

"I...just can't."

"Did I tell you that you were not to associate with Robert Dudley anymore?" Elizabeth looked up into the eyes of her mother, which were blazing with anger.


	30. Running Away

"I was only trying to comfort her, Your Grace," Robin told the Queen. "Thomas Seymour gave her some kind of dreadful fright."

"Thomas Seymour? What did he do?" asked Anne.

"He...he..." Elizabeth whispered into her mother's ear. The Queen's face paled.

"That...wretched pervert!" Anne exclaimed. "I shall see that he is sent to the Tower right away!" So angry that she'd quite forgotten her ban on Robin and Elizabeth's friendship, she stalked away to find her husband.

"There's a new pony at the stable," Robin told Elizabeth. "Would you like to see it?"

"Oh, yes!" Elizabeth exclaimed. A few minutes later, she and Robin were laughing at the antics of the new pony together, Thomas Seymour having been quite forgotten.

* * *

Anne was successful in getting her husband to have Thomas Seymour imprisoned in the Tower, but it was only for a short period of time. Within a few months, Thomas and Katherine's daughter was born and was named Mary. Katherine fell deathly ill very shortly after little Mary's birth but, against all odds, she eventually recovered.

"What did Thomas Seymour do that scared you so badly?" Robin asked Elizabeth one day.

"He took out his organ and showed it to me," she told him.

"You're such a beautiful girl, Bess," said Robin. "Any man who acts like less than a gentleman around you should be drawn and quartered!"

Elizabeth giggled at his fervor, then blushed. A moment later she felt his fingers lifting her chin to look into her eyes.

"You really are beautiful, Bess," he said softly. "May I kiss you?"

She nodded. His lips lightly brushed her own. It felt surprisingly nice.

She dreamed about Robin for all of that night.

* * *

One day when Elizabeth was sixteen, Arthur and Anne decided that it was time to find a suitable husband for her.

"King Christian III of Denmark has inquired about Elizabeth as a potential bride for his son Ferdinand II," King Arthur told his wife.

"I think that would be a desirable match," Anne replied. Later she informed her daughter that she would be sailing to Denmark to marry the Prince.

"But I don't even know him!" Elizabeth protested. "What if I don't like him?"

"He's a fine young man, and I'm sure he'll make a good husband," Anne said decisively.

One day not long afterwards, Robin came upon Elizabeth sitting beside a pond and crying.

"Bess! What's the matter?" His voice soft with concern, he knelt beside her and lightly touched her cheek with his fingers.

"My parents are sending me away to Denmark to marry Prince Ferdinand," Elizabeth moaned. "I'm afraid I shall never see you again!"

"But surely you can talk them out of it!" Robin exclaimed.

Elizabeth shook her head sorrowfully. "I cannot. Their minds are made up."

"I'm so sorry, Bess," said Robin. He felt very sad at the prospect of never seeing her again as well and wished that there was something he could say to comfort her.

The night before she was to sail to Denmark, Elizabeth was lying in bed wide awake when she heard a soft rapping at her window. She arose from bed and pushed the curtain aside to see Robin Dudley on horseback.

"Hurry! There's no time to waste!" he whispered. He helped her out the window and onto the horse, and they swiftly rode away, Robin sitting behind Elizabeth and controlling the horse's movements. Elizabeth was so relieved to get out of having to sail to Denmark the next day that she didn't even think to ask Robin where he was taking her.


	31. Eloping

Away they rode through the night, until at last Robin pulled up in front of a thatched cottage and stopped the horse.

"Where are we?" asked Elizabeth as they dismounted.

"Justice of the Peace," Robin told her. "You _do _want to marry me, don't you?" he asked uncertainly.

"Oh, Robin, of course I do!" Elizabeth's eyes danced happily. "Can we really do it?"

"That's what a Justice of the Peace does." Robin grinned. He knocked on the door, and it was opened by a yawning middle-aged man.

"Elopers again," the man muttered. "Well, come on in." Elizabeth was relieved that he didn't seem to recognize her.

A middle-aged woman wearing a nightgown sat in a chair against the wall. The man who'd answered the door rummaged in a desk drawer until he found a book, then stood beside the woman and directed Robin and Elizabeth to stand facing him. He opened the book and read several passages that sounded like Bible verses, then looked at Robin. "Do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do," said Robin.

"Do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?" the Justice of the Peace then asked Elizabeth.

"Oh, yes, I do!" she exclaimed.

"Then by the powers vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Robin and Elizabeth embraced and kissed.

"I'm going back to bed," the Justice of the Peace muttered as he turned away.

"So that's it? We're married now?" asked Elizabeth.

"That's it. We're married now," Robin assured her.

Elizabeth squealed with joy. "So what do we do now?"

"We'll find an inn where we can stay for the night," Robin decided. "Then we can stay with my family temporarily until I can find a home for us, which I'm sure won't take long at all."

They got back on the horse and rode to a nearby inn, which fortunately had an available room.

"Oh, Bess," Robin sighed as he began to kiss and caress his bride. As her new husband's hands moved smoothly over her still-clothed body, she felt her nipples begin to ache.

Robin unfastened her dress and let it fall, then began to caress her bare breasts, his fingers dancing over her erect nipples. After awhile he bent to gently suckle them, and Elizabeth was in heaven. Her own hands moved over his still-clothed body, finding his erection and massaging it through his hose.

Swiftly he moved to shed them, and her fingers came in touch with his bare flesh. She stroked him, fascinated by the new sensation, and he moaned as he own fingers deftly removed her underclothing and then began to explore her most intimate parts. Wet with desire, her slick moistness soon covered them.

When she thought she could stand it no more, he plunged into her, and she gasped.

"Did I hurt you?" he whispered. "I'm sorry!"

"It's all right," she told him.

"Do you want me to keep going, then?"

"Oh, yes!" She clung to him and moved with him until their passion was sated.

* * *

"Arthur!" Anne cried. "Elizabeth isn't in her room, and I can't find her anywhere! She's been kidnapped!" She burst into tears as she ran into Arthur's arms.

"There, there," he said, patting her back in an attempt to calm her. "Perhaps she wasn't kidnapped at all. Perhaps she left of her own free will. You know that she was unhappy about her upcoming nuptials."

Anne thought for a moment, and then her eyes blazed with fury. "I'll bet that Dudley boy had something to do with this! I'll bet they've run away together! I _never _should have allowed them to see one another again!"

"Now calm down, sweetheart," Arthur said to his wife. "Perhaps it's not as bad as it seems. Maybe she'll reconsider and return to us."

"She won't," Anne wailed. "They've run away to be married. We must find them before it's too late!"


End file.
